• Key point 8-06. The civil courts have consistently ruled that the first amendment prevents the civil courts from applying civil rights laws to the relationship between a church and a minister.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964
Employment Practices
A federal court in Connecticut ruled that the a church-affiliated college could be sued by a homosexual ex-priest who was dismissed as a professor in the college's religion department. In 1979 a man (Michael) was ordained a Roman Catholic priest and assigned to a diocese. In 1987, Michael informed his superiors that he was homosexual. As a result, the bishop placed Michael on a six-month leave of absence and advised him to seek counseling. Following this leave of absence, Michael met with the bishop to discuss the matter further. At that meeting the bishop placed him on a "permanent leave of absence from the active ministry." Michael subsequently ...
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